Miami (May 6, 2013)—The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) condemned today the beating and threats suffered by a radio executive in the Honduras capital of Tegucigalpa in apparent reprisal for his having questioned amendments to the Telecommunications Law being sponsored by the government . The organization strongly urged the authorities to investigate the incident.
Elías Chahín who owns a radio station and is president of the Association of Independent Radio and Television Stations of Honduras, was attacked on Saturday (May 4) in late afternoon. As he was leaving the La Buenísima and Estéreo Tic Tacbroadcast stations he owns, three young men aged 19 to 22 approached him and began to kick and beat him up.
The chairman of the IAPA’s Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information, Claudio Paolillo, condemned what he called “the brutal aggression against Chahín, that also amounts to an attack on freedom of expression in Honduras.” He added that this was “one more episode in a series of other acts of violence reported in the country, and which have not been dealt with in the courts.”
Chahín, 63, said that one of his assailants warned him that the attack “is so you keep your mouth shut, you son of a …, the next time we’re going to break you up.” He had been taking an active part in discussions about the proposed amendments to the Telecommunications Law, and has been a harsh critic of some that he regards as violating the right to freedom of expression.
He also reported other acts of violence against him. On two occasions there have been failed attempts to set fire to his home. He also said that for the past month he had been receiving continuous communications, among other allegations which he saw as threats, from several government agencies (Executive Revenue Office, Labor Ministry and Social Security) announcing potential audits or similar warnings.
Paolillo, editor of the Montevideo, Uruguay, weekly Búsqueda, announced that the IAPA would be sending an international delegation to Tegucigalpa on May 27-29, with the objective of raising with national authorities and various representatives of civil society matters concerning free speech and press freedom in the Central American country, and following up the Action Plan to pursue pubic reforms to confront violence against journalists, agreed to during the Safety, Protection and Solidarity for Freedom of Expression Conference held there in August 2012.
